Primal
by onlyoneformeisme
Summary: It seems that his primal urges were curbed at least.


**For Round 1 of the Quidditch League Fan fiction Challenge**

 **Prompt (for Keepers):** _Write about a magical creature you've never written about before_

* * *

When he had been bitten, he had felt agony so unlike he had ever felt before. His blood was on fire, surging through his veins and his body like a fiery river. His bones ached with something he couldn't name. His eyes went unseeing, his hearing going so loud he couldn't process anything, his hands covering his ears in pain.

"-emus! _Remus!_ "

His hands were pulled away from his ears as the face of his father appeared before him, eyes crinkled up in concern and anguish. "What is it? What's wrong, what happened?"

"Hurts," he groaned out, body burning. "Bite. Wolf. Hurts hurts _hurts_."

His father's eyes went wide before nodding and his hands disappeared from sight before he was picked up. "It'll be alright," he heard him say as he began to drift. "Everything will be okay."

* * *

"Why can't I go to school?"

"Because, Remus, there are people who don't know what you are. They don't know that you turn into a werewolf every full moon."

"Will I ever be able to go to school?"

". . . I don't know, son."

* * *

It's when he's eleven and gets the acceptance letter to Hogwarts that he realizes something. "I can't go," he told the professor who had shown up. "I don't want to hurt anyone."

The professor looks surprised, like she hadn't seen this coming. "What do you mean?"

"I'm a werewolf, so I can't go. I don't want to hurt anyone," he repeated.

The professor looks to his father, who nods in confirmation. Then she looks to him, crouch's down, and tells him, "Let me see what I can do and maybe you will be able to come, even if you are a werewolf."

—

When the professor comes back and tells him that, yes, he is allowed to come, he is so overjoyed that he and his father celebrate that night.

They stare at the stars from the ground, both of them laying side by side.

"What if I hurt someone?"

"I don't believe you will. Have you ever hurt anyone?"

"Yes. You!"

"Yes, but that wasn't while you were changed, now was it?"

". . . No."

"So there's nothing to worry about, okay?"

"Okay."

* * *

On the train, when he meets James, Sirius, and Peter, he's _terrified_. What if they find out he's a werewolf? Would they hate him? Would they tell anybody else?

He's so deep into his thoughts that he doesn't notice his three new friends talking together quietly.

"Do you think he's okay?" James whispered to Sirius, looking at Remus with concern.

"I bet you anything he's okay. Maybe he's just scared for the Sorting? Isn't he a Muggleborn or something? Lupin isn't a very common last name, you know."

"Yeah, I know. But still . . ."

"He'll be fine, because he's got us with him. So don't worry."

James looks at Remus one last time before nodding.

—

At the Sorting, Remus watched as Sirius Black gets sorted into Gryffindor, causing the whole hall to go silent. They go through all the other letters into the Ls arrive and soon enough, his name is being called.

"Lupin, Remus!"

Making his way forward, he climbs up the steps and sits on the stool, knuckles white against the stool. The hat is set in his head and he's engulfed by darkness.

 _Well, what a head you have got here,_ he hears, causing him to jump.

 _Ah, sorry. Now, let us see here . . . Loyal, yes, but no Hufflepuff. Sly and cunning, yes, but no Slytherin, either. Eager to learn, oh yes, but no Ravenclaw, either. Plenty of courage, yes, yes._

He closes his eyes and prays, prays, that he'll make it into the same house as Sirius as the hat opens its mouth and shouts, "GRYFFINDOR!"

He grins as the hat is taken off his head and jumps down from the stool, running over to the table with gold and red that's cheering so loud, just for slides into the seat beside Sirius and is welcomed with a grin from the boy.

Soon, the two of them are joined by James and Peter and he can't be any happier.

* * *

It's their second year when he's confronted by his three friends.

"We know what you are," James told him.

Confused, he blinks and looks at them. "What?"

"We know that you're a werewolf, Remus," Sirius says bluntly. James smacks him on the arm, causing him to frown. "What? We do!"

"Yeah, well, now he looks terrified!"

And he does. His face is pale, mouth dropped open in shock, eyes wide. There's fear in his eyes as he hurriedly begins to pack up his things into his school bag, hands shaking. "I've got to go," he mutters, standing up and making his way out of Study Hall.

James and Sirius watch has he walks out before James smacks him again. "Way to go, Black!" the Potter snaps. "Now he won't want to talk to us."

"I just told it to him bluntly is all!" Sirius snaps back. "He didn't know what you meant, so I told it to him the only way I know: bluntly!"

"Well, next time, say it a little less bluntly!"

"Yeah, Yeah, whatever. Now what are we gonna do?"

James looks from him to Peter and then back to him again. "We're gonna find a way to help him, is what we're gonna do."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, now come on!" He stood and grabbed his things, already walking away before Sirius and Peter can even get their things.

"Where're we going?"

"The library!"

* * *

In their fifth year, he's shocked when James, Sirius, and Peter join him on his way to the Shrieking Shack.

"What?" is all he says.

James grins. "We managed to find out what our animagus forms are, Remus!" he tells him excitedly. "We thought we could join you tonight in them, see if we can help."

"With what?"

"So you're not lonely, of course!" Sirius says this so cheerfully Remus can't help but sigh and shake his head.

He looks at Peter and Peter just smiled at him, nodding.

Looking over all three of them, he sighs once more and says, grudgingly, "Okay, fine. But please, be careful, okay?"

All he gets is three grins in reply.

—

The next morning, he wakes up sandwiched between James and Sirius, both of whom are snoring softly. Peter is on the other side of Sirius, limbs all sprawled out, mouth open and he snores loudly.

He checks over all three discreetly, making sure none of them were hurt over the night. He sighs in relief and relaxes when he finds out they haven't.

It seems that his usual primal urges were curved slightly, and that makes him happy.

* * *

 _[word count: 1,118]_


End file.
